Health/wellness cluster added as asset to region

The Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. has added “healthcare and wellness” as an eighth industry cluster that can attract new business to Colorado, citing a 9.5 percent job expansion for the industry in the region in 2011. “They’re good jobs,” said Janet Fritz, the EDC’s director of marketing. The EDC’s 2012 Industry Cluster Study cites 17,950 “healthcare and wellness” companies across the region that employ 169,150 people, pulling the industry into the previous list of seven clusters promoted as magnets for recruitment of other new businesses to the region. The Metro Denver EDC also marks the companies in a cluster for its own retention and expansion efforts, suggesting help for small businesses identified within the cluster. For an overview of the eight Metro Denver EDC clusters, visit our almanac page: Economy: 8 industry clusters now dominate metro region.